Gov. McCrory releases exempt position count in N.C.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is providing more information about workers in his administration not subject to the same job protections as most state government employees.

McCrory's office announced Tuesday there are just over 1,300 employees now in exempt positions within Cabinet-level agencies. These managerial and policymaking workers serve at the will of the governor or his lieutenants while carrying out his policies.

The legislature this summer gave McCrory another 500 exempt positions to use, raising the maximum to 1,500. McCrory's office said state law required him to notify officials Tuesday about those positions.

McCrory's office said three-fourths of the workers in exempt positions have been in state government long enough to receive some protections to land another state job should they be fired through no fault of their own.

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